1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a dishwasher having an enclosure defining a washing chamber and a dish racking system mounted therein, and more particularly, to a dish racking system having various configurations that enhance the loading flexibility of the dishwasher.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In the design of dishwasher racks it has generally been industry practice to design racks with dish support members arranged for loading standard dishes such as dinner plates. Some articles, however, can not be loaded like standard articles and require special consideration. In addition, the loading requirements may vary from use to use. In some cases the dishwasher is loaded with standard articles such as dinner plates and cups. In other cases the dishwasher is loaded with nonstandard articles such as pans and bowls. To alleviate the problem associated with loading various odd shaped articles, several rack designs have evolved which include movable or adjustable portions.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,822,087 and 1,971,523 (Feingold) disclose a dish drainer that opens to accommodate itself to different sizes of dishes and is folded up when the dish drainer is not in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,516,088 (Einhorn) discloses a folding dish-drying rack which is folded after use to conserve storage space.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,689,576 (Colstad) illustrates an upper dish rack having a side wall angled to allow large or oversized articles to be placed along one side of the lower dish rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,708,037 (Planeta) discloses a detachable rack which can be secured along one side of a conventional wire dish drainer. A clamp maintains the rack in a vertical position. Cups and glasses are placed on the detachable rack so that they are supported outside the dish drainer thereby increasing the capacity of the dish rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,668 (Peglow) discloses a dish rack that includes inserts releasably secured to the dish rack framework.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,702 (Nasser) discloses an article support means located above the nozzle tunnel to support smaller articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,181,924 (Guth) discloses a stepped upper rack to accommodate large articles along one side of the lower rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,126,098 (Geiger et al.) discloses a movable divider hinged to a bottom wire by looping the ends of the divider around the bottom wire. The divider can be positioned in either an upright or folded-down position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,269,548 (Geiger et al.) discloses a rack system which is vertically adjustable within the dishwasher to accommodate large articles. The upper rack also includes several pivoted divider members Each of the pivoted divider members is formed of wire members and is supported on the upper rack by a pair of hinge clips secured to the base of the wire rack for supporting the ends of the pivoted divider members A separate sheet metal detent member is positioned at the end of the rack for holding the pivoted divider members in the upright position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,975 (Smith) discloses a top loading dishwasher having two levels of dish racks. Access to the lower dish rack is attained by utilizing a horizontally movable rack in cooperation with a hinged shelf which is pivotally supported between a pair of the dishwasher side walls at one end and by a portion of the movable rack at the other end. The hinged shelf includes a pair of pivotal divider assemblies each of which may be maintained in an upright posture by a detent assembly at one end of the divider assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,472,573 (Geiger) discloses a rack adjustment system for vertically adjusting either side of the upper rack to accommodate larger articles on the lower rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,612,285 (Mason) discloses a racking system that holds articles being washed by upwardly projected sprays of liquid by providing a pivotal retainer for engaging the articles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,752,322 (Fiocca et al.) discloses a dishwasher rack construction in which a pivoted element can be retained in one of a plurality of intermediate positions by an arcuate toothed member located at the front of the rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,261 (Yake) discloses a dishwasher rack which includes a pair of brackets fixed to the bottom of the rack and having molded slots and retainers for receiving a plurality of fences in a plurality of positions. These fences are either vertically mounted between the pair of brackets or are removed from the dishwasher rack. There is no pivotal movement of individual fences but only selective use of these fences for adjusting the distance between adjacent fences and between the rack side walls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,437 (Crawford et al.) discloses the use of alternating pairs of article supports for optional racking of plates and bowls while maximizing the capacity of the dish rack.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,606,464 (Jordan et al.) discloses a pivoted divider which can be positioned in either an upright or folded position. A combination camming and biasing member is integral with a support member and is engageable with a portion of the pivoted divider for biasing the divider in either the upright or folded-down position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,248 (Friskney) discloses a dishwasher rack with a movable fence which can be moved between a folded or inoperative position where it extends parallel to the bottom wall of the rack and an upright or operating position.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a dish racking system that provides for increased load capacity by providing at least one pivotal shelf.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved dishwasher rack with pivoted divider members which can be rotated to accommodate either standard or non-standard articles.
A still further object is to provide a high sided lower rack to support tall articles while protecting those articles and the dishwasher chamber from damage.
Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.